The Butler Valley Hockey Association was founded in 1993 when the Ice Connection of Pittsburgh needed to replace its departed youth program.  The team was originally called the Butler Valley Dawgs.

The Ice Connection was sold in 2016 and became the Frozen Pond Arena.  New programs formed at the rink through that process, including the Pittsburgh Hockey Academy (PHA).  In 2020, Butler Valley entered into a partnership with PHA and the rink to create a unified youth program.  Under that agreement, the PAHL teams became known as the Pittsburgh Yetis, though they still operate administratively as the Butler Valley Hockey Association.  The Yetis nickname came about in relation to the Tier 1 organization in the partnership, the PHA Icemen.  And presumably, both teams are nicknamed in relation to the Frozen Pond Arena name.